Azad Singh Diwakar, who runs a roadside laundry outlet in Agra’s Pratap Nagar area, has made many in his neighbourhood happy by announcing that their clothes will be ironed free of charge for five days if India wins the ongoing Champion’s Trophy in England.

However, there are “anti-social elements” lurking in far-off Pakistan who don’t seem as pleased. Apparently, somebody from across the border called Azad on Tuesday evening and – in a threatening tone – asked him to explain the logic behind making such an offer.

“I told him that it was driven by patriotism and disconnected the phone,” said the ardent cricket fan.

Still, Azad was concerned. What if Pakistani forces actually targeted him because he wanted to iron some clothes for free?

Fortunately, Rajendra Garg – a local Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader – came to his rescue.

“We stayed with Azad through the whole of Thursday, but he received no further calls. Keeping his security in mind, we approached the cops,” he said.

The police were equally helpful. “We passed on the number from which the call was made to the surveillance cell. We have asked local constables to keep vigil on Azad for now, just so he doesn’t feel unsafe,” said Rajeshwar Tyagi, station in-charge of Agra’s Jagdishpura police station.

This is not the first time Azad has displayed his largesse during the cricketing season. He had ironed clothes without charge for over 15 days when the Indian cricket team won the World Cup in 2011.